White-tailed eagles released in Exmoor to boost bird’s return to English skies

Half a dozen young white-tailed eagles have been released in Exmoor National Park as part of a project to bring the lost birds back to England’s skies.The eagles, nicknamed flying barn doors because of their wingspan of up to 8ft (2.4m), were once widespread in southern England until the 18th century when persecution led to them being wiped out in the region.The six young birds are part of a project by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to restore the species to England which has seen the release of 45 white-tailed eagles from the Isle of Wight since 2019.Since then, some of the birds have started breeding and the first wild-born chick in southern England since 1780 was born in 2023.The young birds have been released to expand the population and its range (Roy Dennis W